The Baltimore Ravens knew exactly what they were getting when they brought in Derrick Henry last offseason. He’s been one of the most dominant running backs in football for nearly a decade, and even at 31, he’s still the most frustrating and difficult player to tackle in the league. It turns out he’s also still a guy the young running backs are still in awe of.
At the NFL Combine, Boise State's Ashton Jeanty, the top running back in this year’s draft, was asked which player he would be most in awe of the most in the league. Jeanty told Pro Football Talk:
"I'd probably say like, whenever I see Derrick Henry. I just want to see how big he is in real life."
Ashton Jeanty is all of us talking about Derrick Henry. 😅 pic.twitter.com/7E17J5Ft6O
— Sunday Night Football on NBC (@SNFonNBC) March 1, 2025
Hard to blame Jeanty. Henry’s size and raw power have made him a nightmare for defenders and an athletic specimen for years. Apparently, even incoming rookies still want to see what it's like sharing the field with him.
Derrick Henry remains the gold standard for running backs
Henry has been the standard at the position for years, and Jeanty’s comments prove that his reputation hasn’t faded at all. At 6-foot-3, 247 pounds, Henry has been stiff-arming defenders into different universes since his Alabama days, and even now, guys entering the league still view him as the benchmark.
Jeanty isn’t just some other rookie, either. The Boise State star nearly broke Barry Sanders’ single-season rushing record last year, putting up an absurd 2,601 yards and 29 touchdowns. If anyone understands what it takes to dominate as a running back, it’s him. And yet, he still looks at Henry as the blueprint.
Beyond the field, Henry’s influence is also being felt in a bigger way and helping pave the way for the young guys.
For years, the running back market was trending in the wrong direction and being devalued. Teams were hesitant to hand out big, long-term contracts, and free agency wasn’t exactly kind to the position. But Henry, along with guys like Saquon Barkley, has helped change the narrative.
Jeanty acknowledged that shift:
"It’s exciting where the running back position is right now. A few years ago it was getting devalued, but you look at all the guys in the league who are doing special things and showing that there’s value to having a great running back."
Henry has been proving that for years. And even as his career is closer to its end than its beginning, he’s still one of the most feared and respected backs in the game.